Go Big or Go Home

Think back to all the prayers you have prayed or heard in the last week. I had a meeting earlier this week where we took time to pray for our church and for God’s guidance. As we prayed I had this sense of frustration in my heart; and I thought God, why am I frustrated that people are praying to you? As the prayer continued this verse came to my head, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11, ESV) One way you could translate this is when you pray, “Go big or go home.”

The disciples learned about the lesson of “go big or go home” from Jesus in a story you may know well. One day Jesus is teaching, and as the sun begins to set the disciples say to him, Jesus these people are hungry, we don’t have enough money to feed them all, and there is no grocery store near here with enough food to feed them either. Essentially, Jesus let them try to go find a snack on their own, let them fend for themselves; there is nothing we can do to help them. Jesus asks them to gather what they can. Then Jesus turns 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food so that they all eat and there are a dozen baskets of leftovers for people to take home. Disciples asked for the people to find a snack on their own, Jesus says watch this; I will feed them till they are full, I will answer your request with something much more than you ever asked for.

I think that we have resigned ourselves to snack food when God is ready to offer a feast. Often I hear people talk about other people, other families, and other churches that God is doing something amazing in, but resign themselves to “oh that will never be me” . We call it humility, but instead do we lack the courage and faith to pray for something bolder and greater? Why is it always someone else? Why can’t it be you, or your family, or your church? Let me be clear this is not about coveting what someone else has, it’s not being greedy, but having faith that God could do something amazing in your midst. This is about faith that says, God if it’s your will, do something greater than I could ever imagine. So when you pray, it’s simple, go big or go home. Pray with great faith that God can and will do something big in your midst.

Pastor Bill

Discussion Questions

What is one big prayer that you could pray today?

What is it like for you to pray a “big” prayers? Challenging, scary, exciting?

What holds us back from praying big prayers?

Before you walk away from this note, take a moment and pray. God if it is your will, do something amazing in my family, my life, my church.